Several forest mitigation options exist: afforestation/reforestation, Deforestation and forest degradation, forest management for carbon stocks and wood products. The IPCC notes that when properly designed and implemented, these forestry mitigation optiosn should provide substantial co-benefits in terms of employment and income generation opportunities, biodiversity and watershed conservation, provision of timber and fibre as well as aestethic and recreational services (IPCC, 2007).

Agro-forestry, as defined by the World Agro-forestry Centre, is “a dynamic, ecologically based, natural resources management system that, through the integration of trees on farms and in the agricultural landscape, diversifies and sustains production for increased social, economic, and environmental benefits for land users at all levels”.

Description

Sustainable forest management promotes local community development while conserving biodiversity and sequestering carbon; it can even eliminate deforestation and restore forest cover. This is achieved through practices like reduced-impact logging, respecting conservation areas, protecting seed trees, censusing and mapping commercial trees, protecting against fires and promoting natural forest regeneration (selective pruning and clearing).

Urban forestry is the care and management of tree populations in urban settings for the purpose of improving the urban environment. The concept of urban forestry, which advocates the role of trees as a critical part of the urban structure, was developed to address the issue of impact on forestry by urbanization. The urban forestry comprises all green elements under urban influence.